Today’s Sac Bee reports the city has laid off eight of its Development Services Department employees.
The building moratorium in Natomas, stalled construction projects elsewhere, and a significant budget deficit were cited as reasons for the move. An excerpt:
The layoffs will save the city $500,000 over the next six months and $1 million next fiscal year, said Bill Thomas, director of development services.
A popular comment posted today by a SacBee.Com reader:
Eight people are paid a million dollars a year? That means the average pay is $125,000 a year. By golly, I think I have found the root of the budget problem! According to the IRS, the average citizen’s wage is $42,000 annually.— RODBO
Actually, the savings includes benefits like health insurance, workers compensation insurance, social security and medicare contributions, etc. The average employer spends between 30% and 40% more of than an employee’s salary in taxes and benefits. 85 to 90K is not an outrageous salary for a mid to high level city employee with many years of experience.
Heck, the firefighters are making that much in overtime!
The City could easily lay off 200 city workers and no one would notice the difference.
These lazy overpaid under worked union slackers need to be shown the door.
Contract out their job functions in a competitive bidding process. and we could save 10 million a year or more.
I spent a whole afternoon watching a city crew work by my house. 8-10 guys standing around holding up shovels and looking at the ground; and four of them were obviously supervisors 7 engineers.
Our city and state is going broke due to public employee unions and their retirement packages that no one else in the community comes close to seeing in the private sector.
Why do you Democrats protect lazy public workers even at your own expense. Oh, I know, all for more union votes for Democrats. You People disgust me.
I know one of those 8 laid off workers, and his family is really hurting. His was the main salary in their family, and he has a chronically ill child who desperately needs access to health care services. He’s so NOT a “lazy public worker”, but his job was cut due to seniority in his department. These are people with families and mortgages and LIVES.
Try walking in other peoples’ shoes before you write such outlandish dribble. The economy sucks and everyone is suffering. Not everyone is “lazy”!
ditto!
Yeah, Yeah Yeah… most of us have families to raise…
It is commonly known that most government workers are in fact lazy and could never make it in the privates sector at their level of employment and compensation…need an example? Go to DMV…or take some time and go out an actually watch CalTrans/City workers/state workers…
Anyone who believes that government workers are hard working are either delirious, make their living of the taxpayers, or have a spouse that does.
We need to privatize most of these jobs and make them competitive…competition is good, saves the taxpayers money and provides better services and accountability.
Out city grew fat and bloated…they spent like drunken sailors and we are now paying for fiscal irresponsibility. So if anyone wants to bitch, blame the City, not those of us who are happy they are cutting the fat.
And yes we are all suffering, that’s a stupid statement…so does that mean that government workers don’t get to share a portion of our mutual pain? They should somehow be exempt from cutbacks? That’s simply absurd..and clearly written by a government employee…
let’s try a little compassion, even if the person had no family. These times are tough and everyone (employed or not) is suffering.
Fed Up makes some great points, but some a bit harsh. The fact is the public sector has been robbing city budgets for too long now, he is right to say 200 people should be terminated promptly. Spending is wildly out of control, it’s too bad we have such weak leaders who cave to the unions or don’t properly manage our resources, I guess their campaigns are funded by them. We need to return to an era where city spending is dramatically less, but they should fund the dog poop bags in the parks, lazy pet owners are letting their animals crap all over, and my 4 year old has to dodge dog poop in our green belt, I wonder what Ray T would say. This is a reminder that the city is degrading.
And please let’s stop the blanket union bashing. Union workers have their contracts because they are usually jobs involving great physical labor, danger, or high stress situations that many people won’t take on. Trying being a teacher, police or a firefighter for one week and then tell me how you feel. How insulting to those of us who work so hard for your children and their safety!